When Chivas USA has been down a starter this year, more often than not the club has looked on the field rather than to the bench to fill the hole.
Rookie left back Jonathan Bornstein has moved to midfield and striker when the club has been missing starters due to suspension or injury.
Plugging Bornstein in holes across the field speaks to the rookie's versatility but it also shows the club's lack of depth, which has tested Chivas USA coach Bob Bradley's resourcefulness.
"We all know that we've been a little bit thin but we've had to be creative," Bradley said. "We've pushed Jonny Bornstein into the attack more and that I think has been a plus for us."
In three of the club's last five games, Bradley has opted to put Bornstein into the midfield in place of a missing starter instead of leaving the rookie on the defensive line and plugging the hole with a backup.
Saturday, Jesse Marsch was unavailable due to suspension. Bornstein started at left midfield though he floated around the field for much of the game while Orlando Perez started at left back. Bradley's other options were apparently less appealing. On the bench for Saturday's match were Rene Corona, Carlos Borja and Rodrigo Lopez who have a combined 20 minutes of MLS experience under their belts.
For this week's match against Houston, Bradley will have to be even more creative. Juan Pablo Garcia and Francisco Mendoza each picked up a yellow card and will miss the game due to yellow card accumulation. Marsch will return but Bradley must account for the other midfield spot.
The answer could come from the defensive line.
"What we've done in some recent games is at times push Claudio Suarez sort of up in front of the defense into the midfield a little bit more," Bradley said.
Making matters worse is Francisco Palencia's injury. Palencia missed his second consecutive match. Whether his hamstring will be healthy enough in time for Houston remains to be seen but Bradley is hopeful that "El Gatillero" will return to the lineup.
"The one thing we needed to be able to see was whether he was ready to fun at full speed and explode and that part we tested before the game and he's still not there," Bradley said. "He's made really good progress. Another week, you'd like to think that he's ready to get back into it."
Chivas has been shorthanded in the midfield for much of the season. Ramon Ramirez was sidelined with a knee injury during the preseason and underwent likely season-ending surgery in July. John O'Brien has played all of six minutes for the club and is trying to recover from patellar tendonitis.
Brent Whitfield has a broken wrist and is on the mend.
Monday, Mike Munoz underwent season-ending ankle surgery while Lawson Vaughn had sports hernia surgery in Germany, further hampering Chivas' depth.
Bradley will have a week of training in order to sort out his starting lineup, which will likely feature a new wrinkle or two.
"We've tried to do different things to try and take advantage of the players that we have," Bradley said. "That's always what it's all about."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
